Headed to Myanmar, Bangladesh First

First we will go to Bangladesh to support people carrying some gear to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar. The beaches there are supposed to be fabulous.

That’s not where the trouble is located. To the east on Bengal bay close to the Myanmar border is where the Rohingya camps are located. Refugees from Myanmar have found their way to Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, VietNam, Thailand etc but most are in three countries. The largest camps are across the border in Bangladesh.

The refugee women who were raped by thousands of Myanmar soldiers have been popping out babies since around April. They are brave women. Many tried to get abortions, Many died doing home-made abortion techniques or taking witch-doctor brews to flush the pregnancy. Most deliver their babies. It’s a sad story.

Sharon Santiago of the RSAC nurses wants to build a quick but effective specialized clinic for the babies. She has been working with a team in Philippines supporting an Under-Five clinic and helping children who are victims of incest and rape.

I am a woman who has been a soldier most of my life. Before that I was a victim. I have seen some of the worst shit imaginable and have a heart of stone. But when I look at what Sharon does and how much she loves children and fights for their safety, I mean FIGHT, I tear up. Glad that I still really have a heart.

I don’t know if we will move the clinic from Bangladesh to Myanmar but I can tell you that my bid is to set the clinic up in a central area to the Rohingya state within Myanmar right from the start. The Rohingya must be allowed to come home. I will walk with them if that is what it takes.

The Rohingya people are a stateless Tibeto-Burman and Indo-Aryan mixed ethno-religious Indo-Aryan-speaking people who reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. There were an estimated about 1 million Rohingya living in Myanmar before the 2016–17 crisis. I don’t really know the numbers for sure but a huge number ended up in Bangladesh. I think the best thing for RINJ to do is set up clinics as early as possible in Myanmar. That gives families a sense of hope and support when they come home which the UN Says it will call for.

We are RINJ Nurses working with other NGOs but think it would be a good idea to set up a specialized clinic for infants in trouble. If we can raise the funds we will do it. It’s very difficult because of the racism against these women.

“We want to help the brave Rohingya women who will deliver babies resulting from repeated rapes in Myanmar”, says Sharon Santiago a RINJ Foundation nurse, director and staff writer for Feminine-Perspective Magazine. “And provide special care for those with special needs,” she added. The infants have been silently appearing in camps since April. We must build a clinic in Bangladesh and move back to Myanmar when the Rohingya return home.

– Sharon Santiago I am in the Philippines now but you can call me on Whatsapp +16477399279 on my Toronto Numberbut use Whatsapp. lol In the
Philippines a direct call would cost so much … The RINJ Foundation Nurses